I liked Gus and the fact that he was a blue-collar cop guy suddenly thrown into the Spaulding clan. I found Hart to be a complete dud, until Frank Grillo- and even then it wasn't great.

Lynda Hirsch July 78

The newest trend for soaps is to get out of the studio and go on location. Latest show to take to the road, or in this case the sea, Is “Guiding Light.” JANET GREY (Evie McFerrin), STEVEN YATES (Ben) and CURT DAWSON (Peter Chapman) were the lucky trio who enjoyed an eight-day work holiday in the Bahamas. Scenes will be used for Ben and Evie’s honeymoon. Later on, footage from the location shooting will be used to explain Peter Chapman’s mysterious past. So for the next 13 weeks, viewers will enjoy semi-daily visits to the Caribbean.

12 weeks? They certainly got their money's worth. But wasted on the Peter Chapman story? Maybe the Dobsons had high hopes for that character and it didn't pan out. He did hang around till 1980, pining after Holly. But once his contract was up, Marland dumped him.

5 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

Lynda Hirsch July 78

The newest trend for soaps is to get out of the studio and go on location. Latest show to take to the road, or in this case the sea, Is “Guiding Light.” JANET GREY (Evie McFerrin), STEVEN YATES (Ben) and CURT DAWSON (Peter Chapman) were the lucky trio who enjoyed an eight-day work holiday in the Bahamas. Scenes will be used for Ben and Evie’s honeymoon. Later on, footage from the location shooting will be used to explain Peter Chapman’s mysterious past. So for the next 13 weeks, viewers will enjoy semi-daily visits to the Caribbean.

12 weeks? They certainly got their money's worth. But wasted on the Peter Chapman story? Maybe the Dobsons had high hopes for that character and it didn't pan out. He did hang around till 1980, pining after Holly. But once his contract was up, Marland dumped him.

This is news to me! I don't think I've ever heard Ben and Evie got a remote!

Jon Michael Reed Aug 7 1976

HOW IMPOLITE it was — not to mention ingraceful — of “Guiding Light” to film Mart Hulswit, Ed Bauer on the show. in a bathing suit.

Bet that was one time Mart was grateful the tapes were wiped!

1 hour ago, Paul Raven said:

Jon Michael Reed Aug 7 1976

HOW IMPOLITE it was — not to mention ingraceful — of “Guiding Light” to film Mart Hulswit, Ed Bauer on the show. in a bathing suit.

Bet that was one time Mart was grateful the tapes were wiped!

Another reminder of how needlessly bitchy soap columnists (or now, Twitter obsessives) often are...

15 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Another reminder of how needlessly bitchy soap columnists (or now, Twitter obsessives) often are...

I was gonna say, Mart wasn't Don, but he was plenty appealing on that "real guy" kinda way. Especially for the time. Unlike some dudes with porn 'staches.

15 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

Another reminder of how needlessly bitchy soap columnists (or now, Twitter obsessives) often are...

I was gonna say, Mart wasn't Don, but he was plenty appealing on that "real guy" kinda way. Especially for the time. Unlike some dudes with porn 'staches.

28 minutes ago, P.J. said:

I was gonna say, Mart wasn't Don, but he was plenty appealing on that "real guy" kinda way. Especially for the time. Unlike some dudes with porn 'staches.

I also thought he was attractive in a wholesome way.

This is the mentality which helped lead them to dump him for someone who was leaner and presumably meant to be more attractive, which I never felt for Peter Simon (although he looks fine).

13 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I also thought he was attractive in a wholesome way.

This is the mentality which helped lead them to dump him for someone who was leaner and presumably meant to be more attractive, which I never felt for Peter Simon (although he looks fine).

It's not other shows were stacked with matinee idols running around in swimming trunks. Other than maybe Y&R.

The late 1970s was the start of focusing on the looks of an actor/actress over talent.

If you looked at Search for Tomorrow, especially their final episode on CBS, they had Rod Arrants in a black speedo and that was in early 1982 (and he looked sexy in them, imho).

So I'm not surprised that being in swimsuits started to become a thing on soaps in the late 70s. I always say to bring on the eye candy (male and female), just so long as there is some acting ability to go with it.

So much going on--I hate this thing where I can't log on to the site on my phone! Wish they would fix that. (Yes, I tried deteting my search history--doesn't work anymore).

Anyway...

There are more sudden children, I think, than have been mentioned:

Hillary

Amanda -- notoriously retconned years later to sudden SISTER

Quinton

I think you can count Victoria Spaulding as Brandon's sudden child, as her existence was revealed as part of a mystery storyline.

Simon - no, he wasn't Brandon's sudden son, but instead he turned out to be Eric Luvonoczek's sudden son.

Dinah

Dylan

Hart

Nick

Wasn't there another sudden son introduced for Roger? I think his name was Sebastian? Am I remembering this right?

Gus (wasn't Rafael HIS sudden son?)

Jonathan

Then there were potential sudden children that were never brought into the story:

They implied Brandy Shalloe was pregnant with Justin's child when she left the show.

They implied Rita was pregnant, either with Ed or Alan's child, when she left the show.

That's all I can remember.

16 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

But wasted on the Peter Chapman story? Maybe the Dobsons had high hopes for that character and it didn't pan out. He did hang around till 1980, pining after Holly. But once his contract was up, Marland dumped him.

You knew once Holly was free of Roger he was toast. I vaguely remember him having a backstory where he thought he had killed his girlfriend's sister, or some such thing.

9 hours ago, Paul Raven said:

HOW IMPOLITE it was — not to mention ingraceful — of “Guiding Light” to film Mart Hulswit, Ed Bauer on the show. in a bathing suit.

Aargh, I hate this kind of thing. I have to admit I wasn't the biggest Mart fan back in the day. But as the years go by, I appreciate him more and more. He had that likeability that unfortunately PS lacked.

It's hard to say for sure because they are constantly taking down channels on YT, but there was an episode available to watch just after Kelly joined the show where they showed Ed and Kelly swimming. I think that's the same episode where JWS is walking around barechested in Ed's kitchen when Bert suddenly shows up and acts like there's nothing strange about a half-naked young man walking around Ed's house. 😂

1 hour ago, Soaplovers said:

The late 1970s was the start of focusing on the looks of an actor/actress over talent.

Definitely a reaction to the success of the early years of Y&R. They had young, beautiful people strutting around in bathing suits and underwear A LOT.

Mart appears in swim trunks in this 1979 episode with Rita. I noticed this aired August 24. The Facts Of Life debuted on this same day.

10 minutes ago, DeeVee said:

It's hard to say for sure because they are constantly taking down channels on YT, but there was an episode available to watch just after Kelly joined the show where they showed Ed and Kelly swimming. I think that's the same episode where JWS is walking around barechested in Ed's kitchen when Bert suddenly shows up and acts like there's nothing strange about a half-naked young man walking around Ed's house. 😂

I guess she knew that Kelly was like family to them.

I remember an episode like that too. Maybe the one I saw was right before he married Morgan. It was a fun scene.

It never would have happened, obviously, but some type of secret affair story with Ed and Kelly would have interested me, with Hulswit's Ed, when he was rock bottom after the Rita/Alan affair.

I think there's also an episode before Morgan and Kelly's wedding in '81 where Ed and Kelly were in the pool. It must have been a slow gossip week for that columnist.